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Feds Open 'Total' Tech Spy System
Posted by
timothy
on Sat Aug 10, 2002 04:40 PM
from the what-privacy dept.
from the what-privacy dept.
Diesel Dave writes "A Wired article reports: 'On Wednesday, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) will begin awarding contracts for the design and implementation of a Total Information Awareness (TIA) system...The Total Information Awareness program, with its ability to provide persistent storage of everything from credit card, to employment, to medical, to ISP records, is a recipe for civil liberties disaster unless there are provisions for citizens to find out who is looking at their records and to see and correct those records.' The foundation for the omnipotent National ID database has now been laid."
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Feds Open 'Total' Tech Spy System
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When will these people learn? (Score:3, Funny)
Just think about it, do you really want those horny 16 yearolds at the checkout stand to know who you are while you're picking up the tampons for your wife?
This is old news (Score:3, Funny)
Slashdot (Score:1, Funny)
To me, that is Slashdot! I read it 20-50 times a day...
Hmmm (Score:1)
First "Sacrifice Liberty" & 1984 Post (Score:1)
Oh, KARMA PLEASE.
NSA Authority (Score:1, Funny)
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. " -Ben Franklin
Re:NSA Authority (Score:5, Interesting)
one other interesting fact, the NSA is exempted from any US law that does not specifically name the NSA....
Everyone should read Body of Secrets before claiming to know something about the NSA.
So DARPA is taking a page from Google's book... (Score:3, Funny)
There are comanies that already do this. (Score:1)
Re:There are comanies that already do this. (Score:5, Insightful)
It's another thing entirely for it to be not merely difficult but downright illegal to avoid them.
Most "Total Solution" projects fail (Score:3, Insightful)
As a professor of mine in college once said; "Computers make great filing cabinets, but lousy guessers."
Like that movie... (Score:2)
Open source is the answer (Score:5, Funny)
Then we just 'do a mozilla' and keep adding wonderful new features but never actually deliver the damn thing
problem solved!
What about (Score:2)
Inevitable? (Score:2)
Many times we raise a red flag because of privacy issues, and I agree that the direction we (as a world) are progressing in is sad at times. However, let's put this in perspective for a moment. Regardless of your beliefs in a higher power or lower power, one thing is sure...does it really matter that the government knows what you are up to? Yes we live free lives and I know my concern is that perhaps, in the future I will want to do something underhanded and this system will prevent it...what fun would life be without the challenges? Our lives span only a minute on this world, live in your situation and make life a joy: you're the only one who can do that. You can make a case for any possibility, but does the existence of this database can't interfere with that!
By the way, do any of you really expect that the government will be able to implement this without people like us helping them? If you have a hand in it, you can control it
it's coming... (Score:5, Insightful)
Remember folks, the only reason we don't live in an Orwellian nightmare world is actually because it isn't technologically feasible.
As soon as it's possible and practical, in the next few years, it will happen on a wide and broad scale. If it's unpopular, they'll simply not publicize its use. If a few innocents are harrased by it (activists, anarchists, pagans, atheists, and other similar unAmericans), you won't hear a word. If by some sheer coincidence it actually assists in finding a terrorist pre-crime, they still won't say a word.
And I'm sure they'll find a few other uses for it. I mean if you're commiting a crime, it's a crime, no matter what, so what's the problem?
(Hmm, Citizen #95235345 just bought a DVD-R unit and downloaded a copy of DeCSS. Set his Awareness Level to 15%, and send a copy of his Dossier to Media Control for further study. Excellent, we might yet meet our Enforcement quota this week!)
Re:it's coming... (Score:5, Funny)
Oh my GOD! The fed's are going to start awarding karma!
Re:it's coming... (Score:4, Insightful)
Correction: The people in power are interested only in protecting their own welfare. They are seldom interested in their electorate, except insofar as that interest coincides with their own self-interest. Politicians simply don't deliberately do things that cause harm to their own welfare.
Re:Hey Asshole.. (Score:4, Informative)
Read George H.W. Bush's thoughts [cyberdespot.com]; that's probably what the grandparent post was referring to.
Re:Your Historical Myopia Is Showing (Score:4, Informative)
> Atheism has no more substantial foundataion for ethics than simple personal preference.
This is, of course, nonsense, as it assumes that the only possible source for moral or ethical
values is the belief in a deity or deities.
heart warming indeed (Score:2, Insightful)
really fuzzy.
Big Brother Is Already Here (Score:2)
Moral: you already lost. If you have a social security number or driver license number or anything that allows the government to identify or control you, you are already living in a Big Brother society. Either you go along with it or you do something about it. Whichever you choose, you loose.
Sorry, but you are all like cattle, tagged with a number. You are not as free as you have been led to believe. No amount of prideful boasts about living in the freest country in the world will change that fact. You are a bunch of deluded slaves working for a central controlling government. And you are paying a lot more in taxes than you can imagine. It's sad.
Data Protection Act (Score:2)
Here in the UK we have the Data Protection Act, which all companies must adhere to if they store information about you on their computer systems. Amongst other requirements, it allows you (for a small fee) to obtain a copy of that information on request, and have it modified if it's not accurate. If this does go through, I would hope that the US provides something similar.
The link at the end of the story ... (Score:1)
I was expecting a well thought out reasoning why we should be avoiding enumeration, but instead what I saw was trife about how we're all going to hell if we have a numbering system.
oh dear, please, if someones going to post arguements against something, atleast base them in reality, rather then the rantings of a 2000 year old book.
how unfortunate.
nothing to hide (Score:3, Insightful)
There are government agencies, especially law enforcement, whose existence is threatened by this person. They have full access to the complete records of this persons life: medical problems, personal purchases, friends, lovers (including unmarried ones), etc. To silence this person, they will have the ability to make any embarrassing information public (none of which may even have been illegal). Even if the person has the strength of character to withstand this, the persons message will be lost under the media coverage of the scandalous aspects of this person's life: his pr0n preferences, former friends who turned out to be bad guys, extramarital affairs, etc.
This type of this has serious implications for free speech. Even if you are a nobody who will never have anything important to say and who has nothing to hide anyway, there are people to have something to say and have the right to keep the private aspects of their lives private while saying it.
I have a plan.. (Score:1)
*Hopeless-half-sarcastic-rant/cry for help*
No one should live in fear of their government.
Governments should live in fear of its people.
BAA 02-08 (Score:4, Informative)
http://www.darpa.mil/iao/BAA02-08.pdf
This BAA describes exactly what RESEARCH DARPA is looking to fund (emphasis on research: DARPA is NOT a procurement agency, and DARPA is NOT an operational agency). They are not buying off-the-shelf systems, and they are not setting up systems to spy on people. There is even a component to this BAA regarding privacy-protecting technologies.
It is worth noting that many of the problems for which this BAA is looking for national-security-style solutions are problems common to many organizations, as well as fundamental computer-science questions. Not the malevolent stuff that Wired and others would have you think.
National IDs (Score:2)
The interesting thing about the military's new IDs is that they're only laminated on one side, which is causing some to wear out. The military's temporary solution is to hand out plastic sleeves in which to store the cards. If a national ID card ever becomes a reality, I would hope they learn from this and remember to laminate both sides. :o)
DARPA? (Score:2)
Maybe its just me...
Tommy, can you see me? (Score:1)
This is straight from the book of revalations (Score:3)
I was just listening to NPR yesterday and they had a story about a so called communist who was arrested just for being a communist. Basically their is something called the smith act which gives the government the right to arrest anyone if they are involved in a plot to somehow dis assembly the government. Since he was a communist he therefor was against the government and had to be arrested for his dangerous political views.
Anyway this survelance would be perfect for the FBI to arrest anyone suspected of being against the government. IF you are angry at Aschcroft for example and post to
I am sick of 1984 similarities in all these posts but dam.
Anyway this whole database thing looks alot like totalitarian economics mentioned in the bible that is interpreted by conservatives Christians as when the end of the world or when the anti Christ appears. In that day and age the one world government or the beast made of 12 hears or nations( cough, cough, EU) is when everything will be tracked. Infact you will not be able to buy food or land without approval of the government or the corporations of the time. In the book you need a particular mark to do these things. This could be just facial recognition so the government and big corp to know who you are and what you are doing. Just think of the power of big corps or the government will have. IF you do not agree to an EULA then you starve and die or have no home. Everything will be monitored so if you hate the government or the man of lawlessness their will be no outlet to share your views. Infact the end times described a world filled with greed and the love of money. My guess is we are all heading there right now. Only time will tell when are comments from slashdot are monitored and the FBI starts monitoring our lives because of something we said agaisnt the dmca or big W.
the answer (Score:2)
Your Auntie Darpa... (Score:1)
Thorough legislation, not abolition (Score:1)
Instead of shouting constantly "No!" to every system which in principle is meant to defend our lives, freedom, hence our very privacy as well,
we should instead demand thorough legislation so these databases would not be abused.
I think this protection of our privacy in anti-terrorism databases is worth an addition to our respective constitutions (indeed, it is not only the USA which is facing privacy dilemma - it is the entire free world!) of the caliber of an Amendement at least.
Do not forget, democracy is the best of all available political systems but it is also the most cowardous system when it comes to threats which would cost a lot of sacrifice to solve physically, as terrorism is.
Funny (Score:2, Interesting)
Speaking of outsourcing, this kind of a plan gives ample opportunity for politicians, bureaucrats and police to outsource wrongdoing. Like we are now outsourcing torture to friendly Arab nations and outsourcing covert operations to Israeli and British intelligence. Mostly, they will outsource the abuses to off-shore dummy corporations funded through US intelligence, but domestic corporations that collect large amounts of data on US residents (note that it is now considered legit for phone companies to track and disclose everyone you dial unless you succeed in opting out, and no one knows what goes on inside lots of commercial software -- why does the MS Excel viewer make my internet connection so busy?)will likely get involved as well.
The 700 club is on our side - Number of the Beast (Score:1)
"He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number. His number is 666" (Rev. 13:16-18).
Since the Religious Right is the Republicans bread and butter if they can be convinced that such a national database is a tool of Satan it will become too much of a hot potato for them to handle.
Not again... We're on the slippery slope (Score:3, Insightful)
Tracked information about all its citizens
Required you to carry federal identifiation whenever you left the house
Required "papers" for any sort of travel outside of your home town
And yet here in 2002, we as a nation seem to be jumping for joy that all these things are being talked about and implimented in our country. Yea, it's all supposedly for national defense, but Hitler started his reign by imposing all those rules and ideas for the good of the country. How far will we take it this time?
Why can't the Fed just look at the easy way out: stop imposing our will on other countries by military force. Just get out of the Middle East and let them fight it out amongst themselves. Problem solved.
The golden age (Score:1)
The ability of the common man to transfer data around the world is phenomenal right now. People can share media instantly. Transfer speeds are headed through the roof. More important though, is the fact that the governments of the world are not yet fully able to monitor and control this information. The internet is a wild and untamed beast that allows all sorts of politically 'sketchy' people to communicate. As soon as the goverments have build up the infrastructure to control the 'net, they will clamp everyone down. It's not a matter of 'if' but 'when'.
Enjoy the freedom while you have it. It may not be around much longer.
Edsger W. Dijkstra's view on computing science ... (Score:2, Insightful)
"...society tolerates the computing profession because of its incompetance. It is our incopetence that makes us, though expensive, relatively harmless: were we as competent as we would like to be, we would offer the perfect implementation of the complete police state. We would be the darling of any dictatorship"
Food for thought.
Hassle them with encryption (Score:2)
Hey, then we can block telemarketers and spammers because we won't have their key. Don't forget, you have to physically hand a key to someone in order for it to be truely secure, else you are trusting whoever you hand it to. This only needs to be done for personal calls/email. It isn't very likely that someone will use a business call against you.
False Identities, New Identities (Score:2, Interesting)
In the past it was possible to create an entirely new life. Criminals, debtors, or just people who wanted to start a new life could move to "The New World" or other countries and begin again. Now, your new home already has a pretty good idea who you are.
Until the age of direct deposit, it was possible to move somewhere new and get a job that you could be paid for the same day, paying cash for a room in some seedy hotel until you could get a better place. Now, it takes 2-3 weeks before you see your first paycheque, and most hotels require a credit card. Right away it is harder to move around, let alone reinvent yourself.
Let's look at the example of one famous head of state. He spent the first half of his life screwing around, doing drugs, getting arrested for drunk driving, and wasting Bush Sr.'s money. Suddenly he cleans up his act and buys a baseball team, becomes governor of Texas, and eventually President of the U.S. of A. Good for him.
Imagine this same kid 20 years from now. (Minus some of daddy's influence, perhaps.) Generally good kid gets into a bit of trouble when he/she is young, but cleans up and decides to get a job working for MS-AOL-Time-Warner-USA. (MATWU for short.) Person goes in for their interview, to face a series of questions, like a normal job interview. After doing quite well, the interviewer says this:
"You are very well suited for the job. I think you would make an excellent addition to the team. However your ethics do not fit with corporate guidelines. We notice that on your trip to Amsterdam you visited 3 hash bars in a 4 hour period, 1 strip club where you took part in two lap dances and consumed a good deal of alcohol. We also note that you visited Tokyo and stayed for 2 weeks at a VSP resort. Consorting with Vivendi-Sony-Panasonic, perhaps? I'm afraid we cannot hire you."
Who has never done anything they wouldn't want their prospective employer, prospective friends, prospective mate, or prospective client to know about?
Deceptive Editing (Score:1)
1. the use of ellipses in the middle of the teaser is deceptive. The passage after the ellipses beginning with "The Total Information Awareness program, with its ability to provide persistent storage.." up to the last sentence is not from Wired, but rather a quote from an EFF lawyer included in the piece by Wired.
2. While it's never wise to trust your privacy to anyone you don't know, much less the government, hysteria seems a but premature. This is clearly an R&D effort.
US Driver License are already available... (Score:1)
What's the best way to protect information?
Doesn't GNU FSF say it's decentralization of authority?
All this is really going to lead to is the temptation of abuse.....
spurioius reasoning (Score:2, Insightful)
Internal or ad-hoc identifiers are much worse than a public, well-designed system of national ID numbers. Among other things, if you don't know your secret government ID number or record locator, it's much harder for you to force the US government to comply with privacy regulations--even with a court ourder--they'll just claim that they "couldn't find the records" or that they "must have overlooked them" and get away with it even if found out. And if the government makes up their own internal system or uses social security numbers, you are much more likely to be the victim of identity theft or mistaken identity.
In order to protect our privacy, we need good privacy legislation that covers both government agencies and companies. And in order to protect our privacy, we need a well-designed system of national ID numbers--preferably numbers that are large and have a non-trivial internal checksum. Both of these would have to be decided at the ballot box.
The reason why this isn't going to happen is because the people in the US that are mainly concerned about privacy are also people with libertarian leanings. They just don't understand that the only way to protect privacy is through strong government regulations.
I got it! (Score:1)
cp
cp
cp
cp
cp
cp
cp
(copying... copying... still copying....)
cp
There's how you do it. DARPA, please send me my check. You probably already know my address.
The Need for Impermanent Government (Score:1)
Technology has enabled these systems to become effective enough to suggest some form of "term limits" now need to be applied to these systems as well as holders of government offices. These limits will not necessarily take the same form as term limits for individuals, but they are needed.
The instant it ceases to be possible for the people governed by a government to institute a new government, that government is destined to become corrupt. Naturally, though, a government wants to preserve itself, like any entity. That is one of the reasons why eternal vigilance is required to uphold the rights of the people, vigilance of foreign and domestic threats of those rights, including our own government. The U.S. constitution was written to include the concept of an impermanent government, but with advances in technology, term limits on individual office holders are no longer enough protection to prevent abuses of power.
Government systems, political parties, and corporations seem to be growing beyond individual control. It is obvious that the rules under which our society functions are now inadequate for the systems now working within our society. It is time to amend the constitution to add checks and balances for the new places where power is being concentrated. If these changes cannot be made through constitutional means, then it is too late for the U.S. government to self-correct and there will be dark days ahead for the U.S.
Hmm (Score:4, Insightful)
Go ahead and arrest me, Ascroft, you totalitarian son of a bitch, you'll have to do me like you did Padilla; have the military hold me in a brig without bringing charges, 'cause I a'int done a damn thing wrong. Or maybe I should just start looking around for another country. This country is great, but I'm starting to wonder whether the public at large is populated by morons or people too scared to come out of their bunkers. Freedom is something you have to want and want bad. It's incredibly delicate, and we're seeing it torn apart before our eyes. 1984? I don't think so. I'd rather die on my feet than live on my knees. If America is populated by pussies, then just let me know and I'll find another place to live where they actually want their freedom. Sept 11 was an attack on our way of life. Judging by the way things have gone the last 11 months (patriot act, data mining, warrantless arrests, detention of American CITIZENS without a trial/lawyer/grand jury, etc) I'd say they kicked our asses. Cower in the dark if you like, but I will never call you a patriot. I was at the Statue of Liberty today, and it was still closed; you can't go inside. Why? The people of America are too scared to tell Bush to re-open it. What does it say when the people of this country are barred from entering our greatest symbol of freedom? What the hell does that say?
It's about political control (Score:2, Insightful)
http://www.cryptogon.com/2002_07_14_blogarchive
Another ineffective idea (Score:2)
What we do have is way too much cosmetic stuff that pushes the right-wing control agenda. Many arrests, deportations, and secret detentions, but few trials. Talk of a war with Iraq without Congressional approval. More Government secrecy about stuff that has nothing to do with terrorism. Plans for a huge internal security agency, something the US didn't need in WWI or WWII. Talk of using the military for domestic law enforcement. Warships for the Coast Guard.
Note what we're not seeing - competence at the top. Retired FBI agents write books reporting that FBI HQ is packed with bozos. (The field end of the FBI is generally considered better than HQ.) But there hasn't been a purge at FBI HQ, despite several scandals. Ashcroft is at best a lightweight, but he's still running the Justice Department. The head of FEMA was Bush's campaign manager. Cheney is still in office, despite the Halliburton scandals. These guys are not the team we need to win.
Its ok by me, if! (Score:1)
I can see the commercials now... (Score:1)
Why oh why... (Score:2)
If you look at the record in terms of what information was missed by whom, when, and why, it's pretty evident that little or NONE of it had anything to do with a LACK of information. Most of it was plain old incompetence, or a failure to allocate necessary resource. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that no information "TIA" system is going to do anything to solve that problem.
Last untagged citizen bagged today! (Score:1)
WARNING: Reading the rest of this message is inflamatory, and contraindicated where a lack of education and the in-ability to grasp abstract concepts involving self-dissassociation and viewpoint expression without personalization may produce strong personal actions (flamming) from consumption of the memes within. If this is the case, then there's no reason for you not to go elsewhere. In short, I'm sharing. Have lotsa fun or click "next message".
Today I had the joy of dealing with a check-out clerk at Toys R Us. They wanted my phone number because I was paying with cash--an archaic "loose cannon" of consumerism.
I'm the kind of creepy evil bastard that makes women nervous, and children cling to their mommies ;and as such I glared at the clerkdroid from beneath hooded brows(much more acceptable than using his head as a redecorating tool) and asked if it was necessary in order to make a purchase. They said "no", and had that Call Security! look. Hey, I can see Radio Shack keeping a record (probably at the insistence of the government and for convienience when the law comes asking about switches, transmitters, etc)..for all the McGuyver's out there, the Shack is like a candy shop for mayhem, but Toys R Us...shessh. If I had the time to convert (gaming consoles, insertable anthropomorphic toys, and buttloads of chinese plastic) things into weapons of mass destruction I'd probably shop elsewhere--the Defense Department.
I'm just about to the point where everytime someone who doesn't need my information starts asking for it I'm going to shift into full-on asshole mode and start sounding off with clever stuff, like:
I look forward to the day when people will start jamming on merchants who can't function without harvesting the customerbase for data-mining, aggregate info peddling, and affiliate deep-tounge kissing across the backend in some bid for the orgiastic-synergistic-ogopolistic golden ring that will somehow give them the gawd's eye view of the feeding-frenzy, button-pushing results of marketing and distribution that may someday grant them the winning formulary of sales on the scale that Disney has somehow mastered for delivering nearly worthless media.Better yet, when I'm collecting whatever I'll end up getting for retirement, I'm going to be one evil, mean, and nasty bastard...I'll have the time and the will to picket stores that practice this crap, sit in on juries, and vote...at least until I die from something like diabetes, alzhimers, or cancer. Until that happens, I'll relish the looks of concern, terror, and outrage from so-called public-servants and the merchant-enforcement goons (police). Hell, I might even come to enjoy the sensation of tear-gas...can't smell much now, and it'll really pay off when they start screwing with the crowd--a whole crowd of angry cat-food eating bastards like myself (prescription drugs necessary to sustain life don't leave much room for real-food and when you can't smell, the taste of most things isn't too bad). The way I see it, there's going to be more old pissed off bastards in 15 to 30 years than there has ever been before, so they better get their priorites eet (stuff like mandatory death sentences for picketing, inciting people to action, and free-speech; esp. in the public interest!)soon, and remember the German occupation of France--all the information was already there for the occupation forces of Germany to easily and effectively disarm and contain the citizens. What a great time-saver that was!
Whew!...where the hell did that all come from...and did someone spike my corporate swill of choice of the moment(diet 12939 is only $.28 a litre right now--we got a great big cola-war, keeping me up through the night...yeah! caffiene's got me running to the lou all the time tonite--cola war...).
Ask Security Services to deny this (Score:2)
The terrorism argument is a dummy - bull*.
Ask the Security Services in the UK and US to deny this:
Internet surveillance, using carnivore or back doors in encryption, will not stop terrorists communicating by other means e.g. face to face, personal courier or steganography.
Terrorists will have to do that, or they will get caught.
Perhaps using mobile when absolutely essential, saying - "Meet you in the pub Monday" (human bomb to target A), or Tuesday (target B) or Sunday (abort).
SURVEILANCE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO STOP TERRORISTS - IT IS SPIN AND PROPAGANDA
This propaganda is for several reasons, including: making you feel safer - that the government are doing something and the more malicious motive of privacy invasion.
Government say about surveillance - "you've nothing to fear - if you are not breaking the law"
This argument is made to pressure people into acquiescence - else appear guilty of hiding something.
It does not address the real reason why they want this information - they want a surveillance society.
They wish to invade your basic human right to privacy.
This is like having somebody watching everything you do - all your thoughts, hopes and fears will be open to them.
All your finances for them to scrutinize - heaven help you if you cannot account for every cent when they check on your taxes.
Do not believe the lies of Government - even more money spent on these measures will not protect you from terrorists.
P.S. On the Domain Name System, Corporations steal words that belong to everybody - abridging what words you can use - violating the First Amendment.
The Corporations illegally abuse and expand their brand using domain names - above all smaller businesses who use similar words - violating Competition Law.
The authorities LIE - they know how to make trademark domains unique and totally distinctive, as the LAW requires trademarks to be. Please visit the World Intellectual Piracy Organization [wipo.org.uk] - not connected with United Nations WIPO.org !
just a bit too blatant (Score:1)
Okay, if it goes both ways (Score:2)
The problem with this system is that it's one-way transparency. We are transparent to them (the people in power who will have access to this system), but they are not tranto us. If I can get a list of who has looked at my records, and then look at their records -- in the same level of detail that they gained about me -- then I won't have as much of a problem with it. Reciprocal transparency will make it more fair, and help alleviate abuses. If Senator Porkbarrel's office investigates me, and I can investigate them right back, then they might think twice about using it.
Re:And, uh, who makes these things? (Score:1)
Re:I am reminded of a quote (Score:1)
Re:Chill Out (Score:1)
Re:Unless you are worried about identity theft... (Score:4, Insightful)
The only people who are worried about these types of programs are the ones with something to hide
The fact that an AC said this deserves either a +1 Ironic or -1 Ignorant. Unfortunately you didn't include any sarcasm tags to help us decide.
Re:Hey Asshole... (ignore my parent) (Score:1)
Re:TOP SECRET FACT:Most modern cars have transpond (Score:1)
HMM, wonder what RF engineer builds microwave devices operating at the VHF/UHF bands
Re:Weakling (Score:1)
End of argument.
Re:Welcome to No Sympathy Night (OT, Rant) (Score:1)
Interesting essay. It was written by Derek Copold. The A.C. poster probably got it from here [thetexasmercury.com].
Anyway, I don't think our govt is really worried about "lonely philosophers." Even in the book Brave New World, Watson was allowed to go into exile in the Faulkland Islands. And though Nietzsche may have recommended "turning inward", his most popular work begins with Zarathustra leaving his isolated mountain and attempting to share his ideas with other people.
Exactly how tyrannical things are going to get is anyone's guess at this point. The trends are certainly discouraging. But effective, appropriate forms of opposition will come from people (including a few formerly lonesome philosophers) who are willing to organize.
I don't share Copold's pessimism. Not only is "meaningful change in the world" possible, trying to bring it about is a hell of a lot more fun than the deep introspection Copold recommends.